[SPOILERS] The title is apposite because "Revelations" was all about secrets and lies being exposed, setting up next week's big finale in fine style. It also carries an apocalyptic connotation, which somehow feels fitting given the show's bloodletting and physical/emotional destructions.We opened on the framed Solonius (Craig Walsh Wrightson) being punished for killing the city's Magistrate, forced to compete as a slave against the mighty Spartacus (Andy Whitfield) in the Capua arena. A laughably mismatched duel, although it was good to see skinny Solonius put up a determined fight and, upon hearing from Spartacus that Batiatus (John Hannah) will be joining him in death very soon, at least received news to bring a smile to his face in the seconds before his head was lopped off. Gruesome and OTT visuals with an obvious outcome, but it made a change to have a fight between two prominent characters because the scenes felt more emotionally charged.
Now that Spartacus knows it was his "honourable" master Batiatus who ordered the hit on late-wife Sura, you would have expected swift retribution, but "Revelation" revealed a wrinkle to prevent Spartacus acting too hastily: slave girl Mira (Katrina Law) explained that the punishment for any slave killing their master is death for all the other slaves -- a clever law to prevent such a murder from taking place, but not one Spartacus felt bound by, until he discovered that best-friend Varro's widow Aurelia (Brooke Williams) has started working for Batiatus to pay off her late-spouse's debts. Spartacus may not care for anyone else's life in his quest for revenge, but he's not about to let Varro's wife be slaughtered over his selfish actions.
Significantly, this episode heralded the return of Legatus Glaber (Craig Parker), the Roman who had Spartacus and Sura enslaved to begin with back in the pilot. Batiatus is chasing Glaber's patronage of his ludus, with an eye on rising to political power off the back of such support, so makes arrangements to entertain the Legatus at his villa and show-off his newfound prosperity since his last visit.
Once arrived, Glaber was particularly intrigued "the Thracian" and his rise to champion status since they last met, testing Spartacus's legend by pitting him against a platoon of his finest men armed only with two wooden training swords. A hand-cranked action scene ensued that overdid the show's signature speed-up/slow-down style, but nevertheless proved exciting in wiping the smile of Glaber's face once Spartacus almost effortlessly slaughtered the armed guards.
What worked nicely with this episode was how various events from the past were paid off with neat efficiency. Glaber initially refused his patronage, until Batiatus revealed he has the corpse of a Roman socialite his wife Ilithyia (Viva Bianca) murdered, and thus a literal skeleton in the closet to use as leverage and secure patronage.
Ashur (Nick Tarabay) was promoted to a position of respect in the villa, then decided to antagonize his enemy Crixus (Manu Bennett) by securing the sexual favours of Naevia (Lesley-Ann Brandt), the slave Crixus loves and is having secret rendezvous with. A situation revealed to Crixus's mistress Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), who punished her trusted slave girl by carving up her face (though not to the horrifying extreme I was expecting, given how this series enjoys shock-value), and had Crixus whipped for attacking Ashur in front of the Legatus.
Also a nice touch to have Batiatus quietly condemn his wife's sexual relationship with Crixus, revealing that he's known they've been sleeping together all this time. It did feel strange that someone as crafty as Batiatus was being hoodwinked for so long. I wonder if he'd have been less forgiving if Lucretia hadn't announced her pregnancy shortly before Crixus's outburst? Also, isn't it more likely the father of Lucretia's baby is Crixus? Has this thought crossed Batiatus's mind?
There's nothing particularly deep about this show, but it continues to strike effective blows at a primal part of the brain that relishes treachery, deception, blood, guts, sex, violence, loincloths, breasts, and blackmailing. The characters (with a few exceptions) are emblematic, but that works fine for this show's purpose. It knows it's somewhat trashy on the surface, which makes its more edifying and witty moments land blows with twice the expected strength. Spartacus deals with extremes of emotion (enslavement, losing a wife, killing a friend) as well as visceral violence to draw in the bloodhounds, and the trade-off is worth it. It's just a shame the balance was so badly maintained for the first four episodes, because it quite understandably scared off people who would have grew to enjoy it.
My predictions for next week? An astonishing amount of bloodshed, if Spartacus's long-threatened plan to "kill them all" is any indication. I've suspected it from the start -- without consulting history books, which this show gets some inspiration from -- but Spartacus and Crixus are likely to team-up to protect the women in their lives, and lead a mass escape. Doctore (Peter Mensah) will probably help them, now he knows Barca was murdered by Batiatus and didn't earn his freedom. I'm just a little curious because the odds seem stacked in Spartacus's favour - so will Gladus's forces come into play?
WRITER: Brent Fletcher
DIRECTOR: Michael Hurst
GUEST CAST: Peter Mensah, Manu Bennett, Nick Tarabay, Katrina Law, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Craig Walsh Wrightson, Lliam Powell, Daniel Feuerriegel, Ande Cunningham, Brooke Williams, Tim Foley, Janine Burchett, Josh Randall, Siaosi Fonua, Ioane King & David Austin
TRANSMISSION: 10 August 2010 - BRAVO, 10PM
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